"Our fruitful discussions today show that there is increasing convergence between EU and China when it comes to environmental protection. As we are both looking to move away from global economic slowdown to renewed economic growth, we realise that our growth model should not lead us into another crisis for not respecting the planet's boundaries. It's not only the economy - it's what kind of economy that counts. I am confident that the EU and China will build on this positive agenda at their Summit in Bejing next Tuesday, including on areas such as international climate action.

It is encouraging to see that environment has been put at the heart of China's economic growth model. With their 12th Five-Year Plan and our Europe 2020 growth strategy we are working in parallel to build resource-efficient and environment-friendly societies.

Today's exchange of views with Mr. Zhou Shengxian, Minister of Environmental Protection of China, showed that we agree on the need to develop a green economy, and to ensure good quality growth alongside growth in sufficient quantity. China noted the role played by market instruments in environmental protection and underlined the importance of exploring future cooperation in the field of green economic policies.

We discussed our priorities for possible future cooperation and agreed to enhance environment policy cooperation on global environmental challenges, particularly during the run-up to two major international events this year: the 11th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the RIO+20 Summit.

The EU-China Environment Policy Dialogue is a valuable mechanism and both sides agree on the importance of maintaining a regular exchange."